News From the Festival
Festival Announces 2024 Directors: Randall L. Jones Theatre Edition
Last week, the Festival announced the directors for the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. Today we are excited to reveal our directors taking on Much Ado About Nothing and The 39 Steps in the Randall L. Jones Theatre.
To see their work and take advantage of the biggest sale of the year, purchase tickets for the 2024 season on Cyber Monday, November 27, for $10 off per ticket.
Brad Carroll
Much Ado About Nothing
June 21-October 5, 2024
“Beatrice and Benedick – everyone’s favorite Shakespearean couple, yes? Certainly mine! Their antics take us on a romantic romp brimming with hilarity, love and wildly wicked wordplay contrasted, as only Shakespeare can, with darker themes of deception, loss and revenge,” Carroll says.
“The experience of this spontaneous clash of worlds ultimately leads to redemption and second chances and rediscovering the humanity we all share,” he continues. “A tall order for a comedy, but Shakespeare delivers with fascinating characters, sparkling language, razor-like wit and, as in any great play, the unexpected. Much Ado About Nothing is really much ado about everything, and discovering, when all is said and done, what is truly most important.”
Carroll is once again returning to direct at the Festival after directing Sweeney Todd, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Les Misérables, to name a few. He has been the music director and conductor of popular Festival productions such as Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical, Ragtime, and The Pirates of Penzance, among many others.
Additionally, Carroll is the composer of Lend Me a Tenor: The Musical, produced and performed here in 2007. He also boasts teaching credits from Pacific Conservatory Theatre and Southern Utah University, and is affiliated with Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
Aaron Galligan-Stierle
The 39 Steps
June 22-October 5, 2024
“Having performed in the 2010 Festival production of The 39 Steps, I am honored and excited to re-imagine the show for today’s audience,” Galligan-Stierle says. “ . . .by focusing on [the play’s] four storytellers who use their boundless imagination to tell a highly theatrical story full of thrills, romance, and comedy.”
Galligan-Stierle is making his directorial debut at the Festival, although he has a long history of acting at the organization. Calling the Festival his “theatrical home,” he has acted here for nine seasons, including performing the roles of Wadsworth in Clue, Pirelli in Sweeney Todd, and Tateh in Ragtime. He has also been on Broadway in The Phantom of the Opera, Ragtime, and The Grinch.
He boasts teaching credits as the head of musical theatre at Slippery Rock University, film credits as executive producer of Ruin Me, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association. He has also acted at the Kennedy Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Papermill Playhouse, to name a few.
Visit bard.org for more 2024 season information. Go to bard.org/cyber for more details on the biggest sale of the year!
Festival Announces 2024 Directors: Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre Edition
Coming to the Festival from all across the country, we have eight directors gearing up for the Festival’s 63rd season in 2024.
Be sure to catch their productions by purchasing tickets for the 2024 season on Cyber Monday, November 27 for $10 off per ticket.
Let’s get to know the three directors taking on shows in the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre this season, as well as the returning Greenshow director.
Derek Charles Livingston
Henry VIII
June 17-September 5, 2024
“Taking on Henry VIII as a director is a humbling task. It’s one of Shakespeare’s lesser-performed plays, so there’s a feeling I have to ‘get it right,’” Livingston said.
“Shakespeare clearly wrote it for an audience that was familiar with the individual players, so as a director, I have to find ways to tell the story that is clear to a modern audience. Even with those challenges, I am excited to be helming this production for the Festival.”
Currently the Director of New Play Development/Artistic Associate at the Festival, Livingston is returning as a Festival director, having directed A Raisin in the Sun during the 2023 season. He also acted in the Festival’s 2022 production of the one-man play Thurgood.
He has also directed Polar Bears, Black Boys, and Prairie Fringed Orchids at the Festival’s 2022 Words Cubed reading. Livingston has taken on roles in productions at other theaters of Thurgood, The Pillowman, and The Whipping Man to name a few.
Livingston was awarded the New Hampshire Drama Award for Best Actor, as well as the LA Stage Scene Awards for Best Director. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts from Brown University, as well as a Master of Fine Arts in Film Production and Direction from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Theater, Film, and Television.
Valerie Rachelle
The Taming of The Shrew
June 19-September 7, 2024
Rachelle is returning to the Festival for her third season of directing. She helmed last season’s Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical and was the Assistant Director for All’s Well That Ends Well in 1998. She has also directed at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Oregon Cabaret Theatre, and Utah Festival Opera, among others.
Rachelle has teaching credits from Southern Oregon University, University of California, Los Angeles, and CalArts. She is also the Artistic Director at Oregon Cabaret Theatre.
“I am ecstatic to return to the Festival,” Rachelle said. “I am honored to work with so many talented collaborators at this wonderful theater company once again.”
Carolyn Howarth
The Winter’s Tale
June 18-September 6, 2024
“I am thrilled to be making my Utah Shakespeare Festival debut,” Howarth said.
Although this is her first time at the Festival, she has directed for 14 seasons at Colorado Shakespeare Festival. Howarth has also directed at Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, and Sierra Shakespeare Festival as well as many others.
She has teaching credits from University of South Carolina, University of Alabama, UC Davis, and Sierra College. Howarth served as the Artistic Director at Foothill Theatre Company of Nevada City (CA) and has acting credits at Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Jewish Theatre of San Francisco, and Maxim Gorky Theatre of Vladivostok, Russia, among others. She received a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Fine Arts from UC Davis.
Britannia Howe
The Greenshow
June 17-September 7, 2024
“The Greenshow celebrates community at the Festival by audience participatory storytelling,” Howe said. “The Greenshow, first developed by the late Barbara Adams, gives multiple opportunities for children and adults to participate in games, riddles, singing songs, and being a part of the theatrical experience at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. This year will include lively music, tap dancing, magic, and folklore.”
This is the director’s fifth season at the Festival. She directed The Greenshow in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2023, as well as Cymbeline in 2021.
She has also worked at Illinois State University, Utah State University, and Illinois Shakespeare Festival, to name a few. Howe received the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival National Directing Fellowship in 2011, and has taught at Illinois State University, Southern Utah University, and Utah Shakespeare Festival’s Playmakers and Actor Training.
Howe received a Master of Fine Arts in Directing from Illinois State University, as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Classical Acting and Theatre Education from Southern Utah University.
The Greenshow will have three new scripts this season inspired by the plays produced in the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre.
Visit bard.org for more 2024 season information. Go to bard.org/cyber for more details on the biggest sale of the year!
Festival Feature: Meet Volunteers Shirley and Bob Kramer
Shirley and Bob Kramer have been indispensable volunteers and supporters of the Utah Shakespeare Festival for over ten years.
The current president of the Guild of Utah Shakespeare Festival, Bob serves on the non-profit organization as a way to support the Festival and the arts. Together, he and Shirley, the treasurer of the Guild, work to build relationships between patrons and actors through activities and fundraisers.
“We want to preserve the arts in any way we can,” Bob said.
The couple’s love for theatre began on the East Coast, where they started attending Broadway shows. As an airline pilot, Bob would often fly to New York City just to see plays.
“We saw a lot of theatre, and Shirley and I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be neat if we could interact with actors after the show?’” Bob said.
The Kramers moved to Las Vegas 25 years ago, where they currently reside. In search of good theatre in the area, the couple traveled to Cedar City all those years ago to attend the Utah Shakespeare Festival— which was when their longtime love for the organization began.
“We got involved with the Guild 11 years ago, and started Curtain Call Lunches,” Bob said. “The idea was for the actors and patrons to get to know each other.”
The couple also started the Adopt-an-Actor program, which ran for about four years. The program was meant for patrons to be able to further get to know the performing company.
This year, they hosted the Welcome BBQ to welcome the 2023 Festival company and kick off the season, which was resumed after several years of being on pause due to the pandemic.
The Kramers also spend a significant amount of their time at the Festival partnering with small businesses in the Cedar City area.
“We reach out to and educate businesses that don’t know about the Festival,” Bob said. “This year we signed up 75 small businesses [as Guild members] and raised ten thousand dollars.”
Although the couple live in Las Vegas, they spend May through September in Cedar City ushering, participating in the Guild, and helping the Festival however they can.
“We sometimes pick up actors from the airport and we support the REACH Cabaret,” Shirley said. “And the rest of the year, we come up once a month for our Guild meetings.”
The Kramers are heavily involved in other artistic organizations, including serving on the Board of Directors at Encore Performing Arts, Impact Theatre Company, SimonFest, and California Symphony Alliance.
They are also on the Southern Utah Museum of Art fundraising committee and involved with the Las Vegas Sinfonietta and the Las Vegas Philharmonic.
Additionally, the Kramers advise the Jazz Outreach Initiative at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and helped found “Friends of UNLV Jazz,” where they now serve as directors.
“We just want to support the arts and keep the arts going,” Bob said.
The Festival would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the Kramers for their support. To learn more about the Guild and their valiant volunteer efforts, visit bard.org/guild.
Festival Feature: Meet Creative Director Clare Campbell
The 2024 season starts long before productions hit Festival stages in June. Marketing and communicating about the Festival plays into the early success of the season, and Creative Director Clare Campbell’s designs are the first step in sharing the magic of theatre with our patrons.
As Creative Director, Campbell’s job is to maintain the integrity of the Festival through its visual elements. Her biggest projects throughout the year include the Souvenir Program and the Show Art– the designs that advertise each play.
Campbell has let us in on the behind-the-scenes of what it’s like to take on such a massive role.
Her Passion for Art
Since she was little, Campbell knew that she wanted to pursue a career in art. At first, she wanted to design for Disney and help create the cartoons for movies.
“In middle and high school, I even created a comic book with all these different characters,” Campbell said.
The idea of pursuing a career in commercial art was presented to Campbell in high school by a college recruiter. After this seed was planted, Campbell realized she could make money doing what she loved.
Campbell attended Southern Utah University and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design.
“I got into graphic design, and everything was clicking,” Campbell said. “I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
Campbell had several graphic design jobs before working for the Festival, like working for a startup company in St. George, Utah, called Squatty Potty. It was around his time that her talent was discovered by Festival staff.
“I also had a job working for LearnKey, making educational tutorials for different companies,” Campbell said. “We made the graphics look interesting and exciting.”
Designing for the Festival
In 2017, Former Publications Manager Bruce Lee invited Campbell to start designing for the Festival after discovering her work.
“I did a lot of flyers and graphics for education, like Showart for tours and brochures,” Campbell explained.
She also made graphics for the website, designed for fundraising campaigns, and helped develop the new Festival website that launched in 2021.
Slowly, Campbell took on larger responsibilities. Last year, she officially stepped into the Creative Director role.
“I keep our brand [cohesive looking] and manage the [visual elements] going out,” Campbell explained.
This involves approving social media and website elements and working with various Festival departments to make sure all graphics fit the Festival brand.
“I love being able to have the freedom to make things look the way I want them to, but also look the way the Festival needs,” Campbell said. “It’s a fun balance.”
For Campbell, her role as Creative Director is a dream job.
“The way everything worked out is incredible, and I love the atmosphere at the Festival,” Campbell said.
Creating Show Art
However, the job isn’t without its challenges, and the Creative Director explained that each year requires an immense amount of collaboration and research.
“The artwork goes out everywhere, and it’s supposed to intrigue people to come to the Festival,” Campbell said. “It’s a lot of pressure.”
The process of designing Show Art is a big one, and it begins with Campbell studying the scripts and attending designer meetings to understand how the designers and directors want the plays marketed visually.
“I start hand sketching, and then transition to [creating digitally],” Campbell explained, opening up her sketchbook. “I start making notes and collecting different elements, making points of the themes and main characters [of the plays].”
But Campbell can’t just create individual designs for each play without the entirety of the season lineup in mind.
“It’s kind of a puzzle, you’re working on one play graphic, but you have the other six plays you have to match, including the Greenshow,” Campbell said. “They all have to have a cohesive look.”
Campbell also collaborates with Festival administration and the Communications Department throughout the process, making adjustments as feedback is given.
“The goal [for the Showart] is for anyone to look at the graphic and get the concept and tone of the play, as well as be intrigued at the same time,” Campbell said. “We don’t want to give anything away, but still include subtle hints and Easter eggs.”
Eventually, after designing both the Showart and the visual play titles, adjustments are made and files are cleaned up and made usable for Festival marketing.
Designing the Showart is a job that requires constant evolution, and one of the biggest challenges is balancing the current design trends and the timeless look of the Festival.
“It helps me stay in tune with the design world, and not just be in [our own] bubble of Shakespeare,” Campbell said.
Ultimately, the Creative Director plans to be at the Festival as long as possible.
“I feel lucky to be able to do what I love and have people enjoy what I do,” Campbell said.
Keep an eye out for the 2024 Showart and purchase tickets for next season at bard.org.
Festival Feature: Meet Photographer Karl Hugh
You probably recognize his name because you’ve seen it for years. Who is Karl Hugh? He has been the Utah Shakespeare Festival photographer for over 25 years. And his name has been in every photo credit during that time. An invaluable part of the Festival, his work plays a significant role in sharing the power of theatre with our patrons.
A Cedar City native, Hugh left to attend Brigham Young University, where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography. He returned to Cedar City in 1993 and opened up a photography studio, Studio West, so that he could pursue his passion full-time.
Hugh’s Start at The Festival
Hugh grew up next door to the late Festival Founder, Fred C. Adams. He went to a few shows growing up, so Hugh was familiar with the Festival, although he candidly shared he didn’t have an appreciation for theatre yet.
“When I started photography for the Festival, I don’t think that Fred took me seriously, because I was [once] just the kid next door that played with his kids,” Hugh laughed.
Hugh deeply admired his former neighbor’s work. In fact, Hugh’s favorite Shakespeare production at the Festival was when Fred directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2011.
“When he told me I did a good job on production shots, it meant a lot to me because I really respected him,” Hugh said.
In 1994, Hugh started taking on smaller photography jobs at the Festival.
“They were selling statues at the Festival, and so I photographed those,” Hugh said. “I also did candids during rehearsals on black and white film that had to be shipped to Salt Lake City to be developed.”
Gary “Mac” MacIntyre, former Festival Technical Director who started in 1965, encouraged Hugh to learn stage photography.
“It’s a very specialized type of photography, but Mac said that if I learned, I’d always have a good job working at the Festival,” Hugh said. “Back in that day, it was all done on tungsten slide film, which had to be metered and carefully exposed.”
Hugh noted that it was very technical, and it took him several years to learn to perfect this type of photography.
“I started photographing productions for the Southern Utah University theatre program,” Hugh said. “In 1997, I told [the Festival] I was ready to go for the full production shots at the Festival.”
Adjusting with the Times
Since Hugh began photography at the Festival, he’s used ten different cameras.
“It used to be on slide film, and then we transitioned to digital in 2002,” Hugh said. “When we first started production shots [digitally], the camera was very low resolution and it would take about a minute to process the shot.”
Hugh said that because of this, the production would have to be stopped for several minutes while the camera caught up.
With film photography, “[it] had to be flown to Salt Lake City to be developed and sent back that night,” Hugh said. “We never knew if we got good shots until the next day, and so it was very stressful.”
Now, Hugh quietly photographs without interrupting the shows. He mostly takes photos during dress rehearsals or preview performances, but if he shoots during regular performances, patrons may not even notice pictures are being taken. Another advantage to today’s digital cameras is that the photographs are available almost instantaneously, aiding in the speed of being able to use them for various purposes.
“It’s been amazing to watch the technology improve every year,” Hugh said.
Now, not only are his photographs used to market the productions and the Festival, they are also shared extensively on social media, used on the Festival’s website (bard.org), and shared in the annual souvenir program and playbill, among other important uses.
How the Festival Impacted Hugh
“When I started, I knew nothing about Shakespeare,” Hugh said. “I’ve really learned to appreciate [theatre].”
Now, Hugh sees all of the Festival productions and brings as many family members as he can each season.
“I’ve been a part of the behind-the-scenes of what it takes to put together a production since 1994,” Hugh said. “I’ve always loved the artistry and creativity that goes into every production, and I can’t wait for the next season.”
Hugh has also made valuable friendships with staff, performers, and artisans over the years.
“I think the people at the Festival are some of the most creative, gifted people I’ve ever worked with,” Hugh said.
Hugh has formed friendships with many actors, and has kept in touch with them throughout the years.
“I love seeing them in different productions,” Hugh said. “My whole takeaway from working with the Festival is that the artistry that happens here is amazing to see.”
Although Hugh doesn’t do photography full-time these days, he returns each year to do production shots for the Festival because he enjoys it so much. He is selective about the photography jobs he takes, now mostly focusing on real estate and aerial photography.
To see Hugh’s production photography from 1999-2023, visit bard.org/about/photos.
The Magic of Strike: Making Sets Vanish
Curtains have closed on the 2023 season but there is still an immense amount of work to be done after a busy year of production. Properties Director Ben Hohman and Production Manager Richard Girtain have revealed just where— and how— the sets disappear when Festival shows close.
Strike
The process of removing props, scenery, and equipment is referred to as strike.
“Strike is really intense,” Girtain said. “We are trying to do a lot in a short amount of time. We have six months to put [everything] together, perform for three months, and then a week to take everything down.”
Although it’s a process, Girtain noted that it’s also a cathartic end to the season.
“You feel kind of sad, but it’s the natural end of the process,” Girtain said. “We are ready to start anew with the next season, because we feel good about what we did. It’s the life cycle of theatre.”
Hohman and his team, the Properties Department, come in first and “undress” the set.
“Scenery builds the house, and Props makes it a home,” Girtain explained. “Everything you would take if you were loading a moving van is a prop, while scenery is the walls left behind.”
The scenery, or “walls” of the set are removed and finally, lighting and electrics remove their equipment.
Props
“We load trucks and transfer everything to the props warehouse, which is about 6,000 square feet,” Hohman said.
There is also a 3,500 square foot tent, where scenery is stored. On the same five acre property, there is also a storehouse for costumes.
“It will take us anywhere between two weeks and two months, depending on the shows, to get everything taken apart and put away,” Hohman said. “All of the [props] are in an inventory software, and so pictures and measurements are taken and stored.”
Although most everything is stored for future Festival use, some is donated or recycled.
“For example, there are some pieces that will not be used again, like the oversized grandfather clocks from The Play That Goes Wrong that an actor had to fit in,” Hohman said. “So, we are breaking down and recycling the aluminum and just keeping one of the doors.”
Some props are so specialized that they probably won’t see Festival stages again, due to the unique preferences of different directors and designers. These pieces are broken down into smaller, more reusable parts, recycled, or even sold to schools at the annual Shakespeare Competition.
Hohman and his team also display some props in their warehouse as a reminder of the work they’ve done.
“We throw away very few things,” Hohman noted. “If a chair is broken and can’t be repaired, we will pull the arms off the chairs and store those for future use.”
The entire process of putting away and organizing props is a long one.
“People think once you’re out of the theatre, you’re all done, but we won’t be done putting everything from this season away until early December,” Hohman said. “We get it finished right around the time we really have to start getting ready for next year.”
Then, the process starts all over for next season.
“It takes months to build everything and get everything to the theatre, and then [seemingly] two days to make it all disappear,” Hohman said.
Smaller props are sometimes sold to interested patrons. The Guild of the Festival sold rosettes created for the set of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the gift shops this season. They’ve also sold meat pies from Sweeney Todd, maps from King Lear, and bags made from extra costume and upholstery fabric.
“We made six dog portraits for The Play That Goes Wrong,” Hohman said. “We are thinking about offering to sell those.” The Guild uses these sales as fundraising for the Festival.
Scenery
As the production manager, Girtain oversees all physical backstage production, including lighting, sound, props, hair and makeup, costumes, paint, carpentry, and more. All these departments are busy with their own strike process.
“During strike, we try to get the scenery to a neutral place,” Girtain said. “For example, we will paint the floor black.”
Girtain said he looks at keeping items that are “stock building blocks.”
“I like to think of them as Legos, like platform sections that are standard sizes,” Girtain said. “Two-thirds of the platforming are taken from stock each year. Speciality items like doors, windows, and hardware are also put back into stock.”
There are some aspects of the scenery that are very custom, like the immense amount of steel used for the walls of The Play That Goes Wrong.
“The vast majority of [that steel] was recycled,” Girtain said.
This year, duplicates of the scenery for The Play That Goes Wrong were given to the Southern Utah University Film Department to use in their studio.
Enoch Elementary, who does a yearly production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, will put this year’s wall panels of the same production to good use for many shows to come.
“We left the floor of the Engelstad Theatre shows out for the Southern Utah University’s Theatre Department, who repainted it for their fall production of Twelfth Night,” Girtain said.
Ultimately, the props and scenery that aren’t stored for future productions at the Festival are taken care of in various ways.
“We do our best to reuse, recycle, donate, or sell, so that the items continue to have a new life,” Hohman said.
Not everything can be given away or sold, as the props and scenery are assets of the Festival and Southern Utah University. Special permission is often needed, but for those interested in obtaining certain set items, contact Hohman at propsdir@bard.org or Girtain at productionmanager@bard.org.
2023 Season in Review: Thank you for Believing in Us!
With the 2023 season officially over, we’d like to thank our amazing patrons and donors for attending and supporting us once again this year. It was, ultimately, a season that encouraged all of us to BELIEVE in the organization and the transformative power of live theatre.
Our Believe Campaign which launched this year is meant to inspire connectivity, and it was a magical experience connecting with our beloved patrons as they were immersed in our 2023 productions.
Here is what our leadership and staff at the Utah Shakespeare Festival have to say in reflection of the 62nd season:
Interim Artistic Director/Director of New Play Development Derek Charles Livingston
“What a wonderful season of work at the Festival,” Livingston said. “What I consistently heard from audiences throughout it was that, show-for-show, the Festival provided memorable and high quality work.”
For Livingston, no matter how pleased Festival employees are with the productions, our patrons’ satisfaction is the most important and highest stamp of approval.
“We presented a healthy mix of known titles—Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Livingston said. “And rarely-performed Shakespeare plays in up close and intimate ways—Timon of Athens and Coriolanus, and Festival premieres of more contemporary works—Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical, A Raisin in the Sun, and The Play that Goes Wrong.”
For Livingston, this lineup of plays “provided a balance of love and loss as well as drama and comedy all presented with professionalism and heart.”
Director of Development and Communications Donn Jersey
Jersey noted that it was a fabulous year in so many ways.
“The 2023 season was a captivating masterpiece for our audience, going beyond mere plays, actors, staff, theaters, tarts, chocolates, and the grounds,” Jersey said.
For Jersey, the combination of these elements ignited an unwavering belief in the magic of the Festival.
“The Believe Campaign embodies this spirit, encompassing the very essence of our theatrical experience,” Jersey said.
General Manager Kami Terry Paul
The season was not without its challenges. Paul noted that the rising costs of materials and labor continue to make the work very difficult from the operational side.
“But the reward of the incredible stories told on our stages and the audiences who flock to the shows and eagerly immerse themselves in the other Festival activities make those challenges worth it,” Paul said.
“We have an incredible team assembled who are ready to meet these challenges and continue to produce the incredible artistic and human experiences that are the Utah Shakespeare Festival.”
Education Department: Katherine Norman and Stewart Shelley
The education department celebrated its successes, welcoming Education Director Katherine Norman this year. The 2023 Shakespeare in the Schools tour of Othello reached approximately 10,000 students in many schools across the intermountain west.
Throughout the season, they leaned into the “Festival Experience,” emphasizing the invitation to come to pre-show orientations, post-show seminars, actor talk-backs, and props and costume seminars, among other offerings.
Most recently, the Shakespeare Competition concluded, with 3,000 students, 315 teachers, over 100 judges, and numerous volunteers from Southern Utah University participating.
“We are eagerly anticipating the 2024 year and are excited to begin our winter education tours of Hamlet and Every Brilliant Thing!” Associate Education Director Shelley said. “If 2024 is anything like this past season, we look forward to another great season of educational outreach and sharing the joy that is found in theatre and the works of the Bard.”
It’s never too early to purchase tickets for next season! Visit bard.org for our 2024 play lineup.
26 Fun Facts From Our 62nd Season!
Our 62nd season came to a close on October 7, after sixteen weeks of outstanding performances. Let’s reminisce on what a beautiful season it was. Enjoy 26 fun facts from our 62nd season below:
2023 Productions
- This is only the second time that Timon of Athens has been produced at the Festival in 62 years. The previous production was thirty years ago in 1993!
- Timon of Athens and Coriolanus director Lisa Peterson is a two-time OBIE Award-winner. Her most recent production prior to the ones at the Festival, Good Night, Oscar, is currently on Broadway. Actor Sean Hayes received a Tony Award for his performance.
- Romeo and Juliet Director Betsy Mugavero played Juliet the last time it was produced at the Festival in 2017.
- In addition to his positions at the Festival as Interim Artistic Director and Director of New Play Development, Derek Charles Livingston also took on the role as a director this season, successfully leading A Raisin in the Sun.
- The Play That Goes Wrong was our best-selling production, with approximately 26,900 tickets sold. Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical came in second, selling 19,950 tickets.
- A Raisin in the Sun was the first play written by an African-American woman to be produced on Broadway. This was also the first time Lorraine Hansberry’s play saw Festival stages.
- This is the 11th time A Midsummer Night’s Dream was produced at the Festival.
- Jane Austen was worried she had created a main character that “no one but herself would much like.” Ironically, Emma has become one of her most popular characters, however imperfect the female main character may be.
- This was the first season that another group outside of the Festival has ever been in charge of a Greenshow night. The Paiute Tribal Youth Performers from the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah performed The Greenshow: Paiute Heritage and Celebration.
Other
- New leadership was selected and announced this season, with John DiAntonio as Artistic Director and Michael Bahr as Executive Managing Director.
- American Sign Language interpreted performances were reintroduced this season and were offered for A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Play That Goes Wrong.
- 537 tickets were reserved for active military personnel and veterans at no charge for Military Appreciation Week.
- 3,390 pounds of food were donated to the local Iron County Care and Share during the Festival Fall Food Drive.
Props
- There were over 1,160 props this season, including 131 pieces of furniture.
- 937 trim rosettes were made for the set of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
- 200 Thistleweed Fairies were made and handed out to children during The Greenshow: Appalachia Night.
- The chaise lounge in The Play That Goes Wrong had to be redone several times. It kept breaking in rehearsal because of the immense physical abuse the prop received. Eventually, it was perfected. Appearing like a period piece of furniture should, it was engineered to be light and strong and made out of aluminum.
- Almost all of the props in The Play That Goes Wrong had to have multiple copies made to survive the 80 performances of the physically demanding show.
Education
- 25,316 guests attended Festival events in the Seminar Grove, which included props, costume and actor seminars, and play orientations. This number accounts for 28 percent of our total audience.
- Backstage Tours, which have been on hold since 2019, made their return this season. Over 1,000 guests in school groups were led through Festival theatres with the Education Department. An additional 1,232 patrons were led on 27 ticketed tours.
- There are summer camps and courses available through our Education department, and this summer, 150 students and 24 educators attended.
- Festival actors Rhett Guter, Allie Babich, and Marco Antonio Vega once competed in the annual Shakespeare Competition. This season, they collectively acted on Festival stages in Romeo and Juliet, Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical, The Play That Goes Wrong, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Learn more about their journey here.
- The largest of its kind, the Shakespeare Competition hosted 105 schools and nearly 3,000 students from Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, and Wisconsin.
- In a single weekend, the Shakespeare Competition equates to over $1 million dollars in economic impact on Cedar City.
- The Wooden O Symposium hosted scholars from across four continents.
- 982 students purchased Student Access Passes. Those passes were used for 4,837 admissions.
Thank you for helping make our 2023 season such a success. We can’t wait to see you next year! For a 2024 play lineup and to purchase tickets, click here.
Festival Feature: Meet Volunteers Bev and Jim Mudd
By Liz Armstrong
Bev and Jim Mudd have been attending plays at the Utah Shakespeare Festival for 40 years, starting in 1983. The couple fell so in love with theatre that when they retired, they decided to move across state lines to become dedicated volunteers for the Festival.
“I think we are professional volunteers,” Bev said. “We are busier now than with any job we’ve ever had.”
The couple retired 11 years ago and moved from Carson City, Nevada to Cedar City to dedicate their lives to volunteering at the Festival.
“We’ve always loved theatre and see plays all over the world together,” Bev said.
Valiant Volunteers
Before Bev retired, she was a high school English teacher who taught Shakespeare to her students. Although her husband didn’t have a career that correlated directly with theatre, he also had a passion for Shakespeare.
“I was just a computer geek with an interest in Shakespeare,” Jim said.
This season, the couple have worked as ushers in the Randall L. Jones Theatre and Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre.
“We want to keep busy and stay moving, but we’re doing the things we want to do, not the things we have to do,” Jim said.
They stay busy indeed. In addition to volunteering at the Festival, the couple volunteers for the Cedar City Hospital, InterMountain Performing Arts Conservatory, Southern Utah University athletics, and more.
This year, Jim even helped decorate for the fall season on Cedar City’s Main Street and drove the train during the Cedar City Railroad Centennial Celebration.
Bev and Jim are also on the Board of the Utah Shakespeare Festival Guild. The Guild is a non-profit organization, founded over 60 years ago by the late Barbara Adams, wife of late Festival founder Fred C. Adams. The Guild serves, supports, and promotes the Festival through membership, volunteering, and fundraising activities.
Supporting Shakespeare
The couple supports the Festival in any way they can, including volunteering to help at Bard’s Birthday Bash and the annual Shakespeare Competition.
The largest of its kind in North America, the competition hosts around 3,000 students who compete on Southern Utah University’s campus. This is the Mudds’ fourth year volunteering, and their support helps the mission of the Shakespeare Competition: to help participants grow and learn in the world of theatre and “cultivate the art of theatre, dance and music.”
As a retired educator, it’s extremely important to Bev that the Festival supports schools and students.
“There is nothing more powerful than seeing young people excited about something,” Bev said.
For Jim, the competition is imperative in bringing “new blood into theatre.”
But their support of the arts goes beyond just the Festival. As parents, the couple passed down their love of theatre to their daughter, who went to school for technical theatre design. Now, using her degree, she designs for Disney, hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, and more.
“We started taking her to plays when she was young. She was about eight or nine years old when she saw Richard III starring Patrick Page,” Jim said. “That performance was 3 hours and 40 minutes, and she was awake and into the play the whole time.”
Creative Crafting
Bev is Chairman of the Crafts Committee for the Guild, which means she spends hours creating masks, hair pieces, bags, and more to sell at the Randall L. Jones gift shop.
The costume and props department gives us things that would be thrown away, such as scraps of material,” Bev said. “We repurpose the materials and [sell things], and all the money comes back to the Festival.”
These pieces turn into valuable collector’s items, as patrons can purchase tangible items made from the same material they see onstage.
Leftover props, such as the maps from King Lear and meat pies from Sweeney Todd are also sold to interested patrons.
Ultimately, the couple has become an invaluable resource to the Festival and have poured countless hours of their own time into the organization.
“When they need us, they call us,” Bev said. “We are reliable and we show up, because that’s what we like to do.”
For those interested in joining the Guild, please visit bard.org/guild.
Festival Announces Results From 2023 Shakespeare Competition
Cedar City, UT – This past weekend, the 47th annual Shakespeare Competition, hosted by the Utah Shakespeare Festival and Southern Utah University, gave out dozens of awards and scholarships to drama, dance and music students.
The competition is the largest scholastic Shakespeare competition in North America, and this year, 105 schools attended from Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, and Wisconsin.
From October 5 to 7, students competed before numerous adjudicators on the Festival’s stages and on SUU’s campus. Judges consisted of arts professionals with strong literary and performance backgrounds, including company members from the 2023 season at the Festival.
The competition recognizes and educates students between second and twelfth grade in four areas: acting, dance/choreography, music, and technical theatre. At the conclusion of the competition selected students received plaques and scholarships to study with professionals at Southern Utah University and the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
The competition was divided into six divisions: Buckingham (large public high schools), Oxford (midsize public high schools), Cambridge (small public high schools), Westminster (private, charter, & parochial schools), Stratford (junior high and middle schools) and Essex (schools or groups which are not members of state high school associations).
Associate Education Director Stewart Shelley encouraged teachers to bring their students to the competition because it is “an incredible opportunity for students to get professional feedback from our company members and professional judges to improve their own performance.”
ACTING COMPETITION
For the acting portion of the competition, students compete in monologues, duo/trio scenes, and ensembles. Monologue competitors presented for the judges a two to four-minute monologue from a Shakespeare play or sonnet. In the duo/trio scenes competition, two or three actors presented a three to five-minute scene from a Shakespeare play or sonnet. In the ensemble competition, a group of students from a school presented a six to ten-minute Shakespearean scene.
In addition, first, second, and third place overall sweepstake prizes were awarded to the school in each division with the most total points from all categories.
Also, several scholarships were presented in the acting competition:
The first place winners in the duo/trio scene and monologue categories are awarded scholarships to either Southern Utah University or the Utah Shakespeare Festival summer classes, depending on the grade of the student.
Ray Jones Award: Given to seniors, this award is a $1,000 scholarship to Southern Utah University.
Barbara Barrett Award: Given to juniors and under, this award is a $500 scholarship to the Festival’s summer acting intensive Actor Training, or a tuition scholarship to Shakespeare for Junior Actor Training.
Larry Lott Acting Award: In conjunction with the ensemble competition, judges annually recognize the best actor in an ensemble scene in each division. The recipient of this award received a trophy for his or her accomplishments and, if a senior, a $1,000 scholarship to SUU.
ACTING COMPETITION WINNERS
BUCKINGHAM DIVISION
Sweepstakes First Place: Lehi High School
Sweepstakes Second Place: Skyridge High School
Sweepstakes Third Place: American Fork High School
Ensemble First Place: Lehi High School
Ensemble Second Place: Bingham High School
Ensemble Third Place: American Fork High School
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Elizabeth Archer and Abigail Archer (Lehi High School)
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Tyler Wilkinson, Alexander Colqui, Talmage Howlett (Lehi High School)
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Micah Wixom, Elizabeth Birkner, Danielle Whisamore (Riverton High School)
Monologue First Place: Mia Schoebinger (Skyridge High School)
Monologue Second Place: Kylie Priday (Westlake High School)
Monologue Third Place: Savannah Carrasco (Skyridge High School)
Ray Jones Award: Mia Schoebinger (Skyridge High School), Elizabeth Archer and Abigail Archer (Lehi High School)
Larry Lott Acting Award: Beckham Westenskow (Layton High School)
OXFORD DIVISION
Sweepstakes First Place: Hillcrest High School
Sweepstakes Second Place: Brighton High School
Sweepstakes Third Place: Corner Canyon High School
Ensemble First Place: Corner Canyon High School
Ensemble Second Place: Hillcrest High School
Ensemble Third Place: Brighton High School
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Nayantara Nair, Ellie Spilker, and Riley Thompson (Hillcrest High School)
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Jaycey Bennion and Addi Scarborough (Alta High School)
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Toby Holloway and Adriel Carroll (Salem Hills High School)
Monologue First Place: Gabe Williams (Hillcrest High School)
Monologue Second Place: Anna Fetzer (Hillcrest High School)
Monologue Third Place: Grace Brown (Brighton High School)
Ray Jones Award: Gabe Williams and Nayantara Nair (Hillcrest High School)
Barbara Barrett Award: Ellie Spilker and Riley Thompson (Hillcrest High School)
Larry Lott Acting Award: Jaxton Brenner (Brighton High School)
CAMBRIDGE DIVISION
Sweepstakes First Place: Orem High School
Sweepstakes Second Place: Canyon View High School
Sweepstakes Third Place: North Sanpete High School
Ensemble First Place: Canyon View High School
Ensemble Second Place: North Sanpete High School
Ensemble Third Place: Provo High School
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Eli Zemp, Abigail Goodey (Orem High School)
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Lin Anderson, JosLynn Anderson (North Sanpete High School)
Duo/Trio Third Place: Jarrett Pangan, Gavin McClelland, Levi Hokansen (Canyon View High School)
Monologue First Place: Amelia Brown (Orem High School)
Monologue Second Place: Parker Bettinson (Jordan High School)
Monologue Third Place: Eliza Barkdull (Orem High School)
Ray Jones Award: Ameila Brown, Eli Zemp, and Abigail Goodey (Orem High School)
Larry Lott Acting Award: Daxton Gibbs (Bear River High School)
WESTMINSTER DIVISION
Sweepstakes First Place: Liahona Preparatory Academy - High School
Sweepstakes Second Place: Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts
Sweepstakes Third Place: DaVinci Academy - Senior High
Ensemble First Place: Liahona Preparatory Academy - High School
Ensemble Second Place: Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts
Ensemble Third Place: Karl G Maeser Preparatory Academy - High School
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Carter Little, Jayden Long, Ian Hadfield (Liahona Preparatory Academy - High School)
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Ziggy Watene, Scarlet Boss (Rockwell Charter High School)
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Kavin Begg, Claire Tally, Cross Townsend (Intermountain Christian School)
Monologue First Place: Amara Davis (Liahona Preparatory Academy - High School)
Monologue Second Place: Quinlan LaMarche (DaVinci Academy - Senior High)
Monologue Third Place: Chandler Shulman (Bishop Gorman High School)
Ray Jones Award: Jayden Long (Liahona Preparatory Academy - High School)
Barbara Barrett Award: Amara Davis, Carter Little, and Ian Hadfield (Liahona Preparatory Academy - High School)
Larry Lott Acting Award: Kjersti Long (Liahona Preparatory Academy - High School)
STRATFORD DIVISION
Sweepstakes First Place: Karl G Maeser Preparatory Academy - Middle School
Sweepstakes Second Place: Liahona Preparatory - Middle School
Sweepstakes Third Place: Vista Heights Middle School
Ensemble First Place: Karl G Maeser Preparatory Academy - Middle School
Ensemble Second Place: Liahona Preparatory Academy - Middle School
Ensemble Third Place: Frontier Middle School
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Charlotte Heinrich, Ander Davis, Ally Rees (Liahona Preparatory Academy - Middle School)
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Coco Tullis, Aiden Parkinson (Karl G Maeser Preparatory Academy - Middle School) Duo Trio Scenes Third Place: Clarie Mecham, Samantha Smith (Karl G Maeser Preparatory Academy - Middle School)
Monologue First Place: Kaelyn Perez (Viewpoint Middle School)
Monologue Second Place: Katira Davis (Liahona Preparatory Academy - Middle School)
Monologue Third Place: Connor McClellan (Lake Mountain Middle School)
Barbara Barrett Award: Kaelyn Perez (Viewpoint Middle); Charlotte Heinrich, Ander Davis, and Ally Rees (Liahona Preparatory Academy - Middle School)
Larry Lott Acting Award: Katira Davis (Liahona Preparatory Academy - Middle School)
ESSEX DIVISION
Sweepstakes First Place: First Stage Young Company
Sweepstakes Second Place: Utah COPA
Sweepstakes Third Place: Rocky Mountain Shakespeare Company
Ensemble First Place: Youth Theatre - University of Utah
Ensemble Second Place: First Stage Young Company
Ensemble Third Place: Rocky Mountain Shakespeare Company
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Gwendolyn Harper, Cecily Nutter (Utah COPA)
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: John Eash-Scott, Josephine Van Slyke (First Stage Young Company)
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Ryan Bennett, Max Larson, Elena Marking (First Stage Young Company)
Monologue First Place: Silver Anderson (First Stage Young Company)
Monologue Second Place: Alice Rivera (First Stage Young Company)
Monologue Third Place: Kellen Hunnicutt (Youth Theatre - University of Utah)
Barbara Barrett Award: Silver Anderson (First Stage Young Company), Gwendolyn Harper and Cecily Nutter (Utah COPA)
Larry Lott Award: Kellen Hunnicutt (Youth Theatre - University of Utah)
DANCE/CHOREOGRAPHY COMPETITION
For the dance portion, students were able to compete in duo/trio or ensemble groups. In the duo/trio competition, two or three dancers presented a three to six-minute interpretation of a Shakespeare play or sonnet. In the ensemble competition, a group of dancers from a school interpreted a three to six-minute Shakespeare play or sonnet.
DANCE/CHOREOGRAPHY WINNERS
BUCKINGHAM DIVISION
Ensemble First Place: Westlake High School
Ensemble Second Place: Skyridge High School
Ensemble Third Place: Riverton High School
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Lone Peak High School
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place (tie): Pleasant Grove High School and Riverton High School
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Granger High School
OXFORD DIVISION
Ensemble First Place: Wasatch High School
Ensemble Second Place: Corner Canyon High School
Ensemble Third Place: Hunter High School
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Hunter High School
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Crimson Cliffs High School
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Brighton High School
CAMBRIDGE DIVISION
Ensemble First Place: Orem High School
Ensemble Second Place: Desert Hills High School
Ensemble Third Place: Canyon View High School
Duo/Trio First Place: Canyon View High School
Duo/Trio Second Place: Provo High School
Duo/Trio Third Place: Desert Hills High School
WESTMINSTER DIVISION
Ensemble First Place: Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts
Ensemble Second Place: Bishop Gorman High School
Ensemble Third Place: Juan Diego Catholic High School
Duo/Trio First Place: Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts
Duo/Trio Second Place: Karl G Maeser Preparatory Academy - High School
Duo/Trio Third Place: Liahona Preparatory Academy - High School
STRATFORD DIVISION
Ensemble First Place: Vista School
Ensemble Second Place: Lake Mountain Middle School
Ensemble Third Place: Crimson Cliffs Middle School
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Mountain Ridge Jr. High School
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Frontier Middle School
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Viewpoint Middle School
ESSEX DIVISION
Ensemble First Place: Saint Contemporary Ballet
Ensemble Second Place: Youth Leadership Academy
Ensemble Third Place: Youth Theatre - University of Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Saint Contemporary Ballet
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Webb Dance Academy
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Canyon View Center for the Performing Arts
MUSIC COMPETITION
The music competition encouraged students to explore and develop a relationship with the music of the Renaissance (music prior to 1650). Students were encouraged to utilize creative combinations of instruments; however, no instrumentation was required. The competition was split into four divisions: Troubadour (one to five participants), Minstrel (six to ten participants), Canzonetta (six to 16 participants), and Madrigal (17 plus participants). Choral pieces could be up to ten minutes in length.
MUSIC WINNERS
TROUBADOUR
First Place: Pleasant Grove High School
Second Place: Corner Canyon High School
Third Place: Bishop Gorman High School
MINSTREL
First Place: Jordan High School
Second Place: Pleasant Grove High School
Third Place: Corner Canyon High School
CANZONETTA
First Place: Pleasant Grove High School
Second Place: Herriman High School
Third Place: Skyridge High School
MADRIGAL
First Place: Pleasant Grove High School
Second Place: Herriman High School
Third Place: Jordan High School
SWEEPSTAKES
First Place: Pleasant Grove High School
Second Place: Jordan High School
Third Place: Herriman High School
TECHNICAL THEATRE COMPETITION
The final competition was in the technical theatre area for students who work behind-the-scenes creating sound, lighting, props, scenery, and costumes. In the portfolio area, students were given the chance to have their technical and/or design portfolios evaluated by professionals in technical theatre. Technical theatre students were able to compete in Tech Olympics, with winners named in costumes, lighting, make-up, props, rigging, set construction, sound, and stage management. Overall school winners were also named. The best portfolio and runners-up were also recognized.
TECH OLYMPICS––INDIVIDUAL WINNERS
Costumes: Maeryn Lloyd (Westlake High School)
Lighting: Fischer Coleman (Hillcrest High School)
Make-up: Elsie Slabbert (Hillcrest High School)
Props: Mikkel Jones (Kanab High School)
Rigging: Cameron Sorensen (Hillcrest High School)
Set Construction: Peter Windsor (Timpview High School)
Sound: Abby Spangler (Syracuse Arts Academy)
Stage Management: Tyler Strong (Hillcrest High School)
TECH OLYMPICS––OVERALL WINNERS
First Place (Gold Drill): Hillcrest High School
Second Place (Silver Spotlight): Orem High School
Third Place (Bronze Boot): Riverton High School
TECH PORTFOLIO WINNERS
Overall Winner: Megan Oliphant (Mountain Ridge High School)
Runners-up: Fischer Coleman and Wesley Arbon (Hillcrest High School)
For more information on the Shakespeare Competition, visit competition.bard.org.